No Such Thing As Pain?
by Kerributterfly17
Summary: At the begginign of Maximum Security - What if James did go on the recruitment mission? What if he met Dante, the girl immune to pain? My first FanFiction, reviews are welcome!
1. Nightmares

CHAPTER ONE

Dantes scream woke the entire building. It was a scream the trembled on an impossibly high note with a primal urgency. Small dew drops of sweat ran like raindrops down her face as she drew ragged breaths. Her arms outstretched reflexively in the dark , her delicate fingers dancing like spiders over the bed sheets in a large circle around her. Nothing there. She wrapped her hand around her mouth and brushed her tongue along all of her teeth. Yes, all there.

It wasn't as though she expected anyone to come running down the stairs, demanding answers to unspoken questions, but it was a nice surprise when she heard a tentative knock on her door. It was the new boy, startled at her strange ways.

'Dante? What's wrong, are you alright?'James said, eyes wide. Dante blinked rapidly a few times and found him leaning around the door.

'Yes . . . Just a nightmare . . . I'm gonna get a drink of water and go back to bed' Dante smiled weakly, wiping her forehead on the back of her hand. She proceeded to throw back the covers and place her clammy feet on the cold wooden floor.

James followed her down to the kitchen. He had only been here a few days on a recruitment mission, and yet he was already contemplating phoning Zara with a possible recruit. It might be hard to convince her after such a short time, but if what he had heard about this girl was true . . .

'You don't have to follow me like a damn lemming, you know' Dante said, aggravated, before draining the last droplets of water from her glass. James nodded but didn't move. Dante banged her glass down onto the marble counter.

With a spectacular crack, the glass smashed into fragments and tinkled to the ground. James snapped upright from his casual lean against the counter.

'Oh crud' Dante murmured when she looked down to see a crimson ribbon streaking across her hand. No sooner than the image had entered her brain, James appeared with a dishcloth and had wrapped it around her hand firmly.

'Hold th-'James began, heading for the stairs to rouse a sleeping care-worker.

'No!' hissed Dante, grabbing his wrist tightly.

'Come on, Dante, That's gonna need stitches . . .' he hissed back. Dante paid no attention and unwound the chequered bandage. She held her hand carefully under the tap and flipped it on.

'Can you go up to my room? In the top drawer by my bed is a plastic box, bring it down here' Dante said, her voice surprisingly calm and hushed for someone who's hand had nearly been cleaved in two.

James quickly assessed that his original assessment couldn't have been very accurate; Dante didn't appear to be in much, if any, pain and she obviously knew some basic first aid. He sprinted upstairs to grab the box. On the way down he decided to take a quick detour and grab two pairs of shoes.

When he re-appeared in the kitchen, the shattered glass had been piled into a heap on the floor. So much for the shoes. Dante was sat on one of the breakfast bar chairs, he hand resting gently on the table.

'Thanks' Dante said, unsnapping the box. James gasped lightly when he saw that inside sat what was unmistakably a surgeons needle and black thread.

'No! No no no! You can't do it yourself!' James tugged the box away, but relinquished his grip when Dante gave him a dangerous look.

'If you're squeamish, go back to bed.' She said simply, and threaded up the needle precariously. James deduced that if in fact the stitches were going to be done in a care homes kitchen at half one in the morning, they should at least be done by a qualified first-aider.

'Excuse me?' Dante growled when James plucked the needle out of her hands.

'I'm a St. Johns. Where's the pain killers in this place?' James half heartedly opened a few cupboards in a faint attempt at locating the said pain killers.

'I don't need any, and I've already cleaned everything. Just sit down and sew, will you? I want to go back to bed before school. ' James cautiously sat. If what he had heard about this girl _was_ true, then she would feel no pain when he repeatedly stabbed a needle through her flesh . . . but if it wasn't? Would she be stupid enough to let him?

James poised the needle and pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth in disgust as he felt a gentle _pop_ as he punctured the skin on Dantes palm.

'Don't worry, I promise I can't feel anything' Dante smiled. James thought back to when he had first heard about her . . . A scrawnier kid had fallen into the lounge declaring that Michael, a burly seventeen year old, would be testing Dante. It had been spectacular. She had taken between twenty and forty punches in the stomach without blinking. After a few questions, James discovered that Dante was apparently oblivious to physical pain.

'So . . . you really can't feel _anything_?' James pulled the third stitch a little rougher than necessary.

'Well, I can feel it go in, and the thread and the pressure and that . . . It just doesn't _hurt_.' Dante rolled her eyes when James grinned. 'You're a smart kid James, you should realise that if it's too good to be true, it probably is.' James' grin vanished into a frown.

'James, when I was little, I nearly bit my own tongue in half. If I Fall over, and I get up even if I've just broken my ankle!' Dante laughed bitterly.

James nodded with understanding as he closed off the stitches, but inside he was grinning like a moron. Dante was a prime candidate; she was just as physically fit as anyone on campus, she was immune to pain, but she was intelligent enough to know her limits. He was going to phone Zara. He was going to phone Zara at half past one in the morning.


	2. Campus

CHAPTER TWO

That night, long after James had gone back to bed, Dante was having the strangest dream. She thought someone was coming into the room, and placing something over her mouth. She woke with a start for the second time that night. The room was empty, just as it should be. A green glow from near her bed told her it was now four in the morning. She rolled over, fully intending to get a few more hours sleep before school.

Dante woke again. It was too bright . . . Oh shoot! She had over slept! She sat up, and nearly fell back down again. This wasn't a room in the children's home that was certain. The walls were pristine white, the space large. She was also shocked to find out about the lack of clothes she was wearing. Someone _had _been in her room last night.

There were a pile of clothes stacked on the floor beside the bed. She jumped out and put them on quickly. Olive army trousers and a bright orange polo shirt went surprisingly well together. She pulled on two heavy black boots, and realised that if this was what they supplied her with for clothes, she had better make the bed.

She stepped nervously into the corridor. There was a girl wearing the same trousers and boots coming up the corridor.

'Excuse me?' Dante said, but before she could begin her next sentence, the girl spoke up.

'Can't talk to orange' the girl said, but pointed to a lift, then held up one finger. She was telling her to get on the lift, and go to floor one.

'Thank you' Sasha said and smiled gratefully.

Floor one was very crowded. Everyone here wore the same trousers and boots, but there were masses of different coloured shirts. She was the only orange one though. Above the heads, she saw a sign saying 'Reception' and decided that would be a safe bet. Once she had battled her way through the crowd, she realised she had been in a dining space. No wonder it had been rough getting through.

'Excuse me?' Dante said once she had got to the reception.

'Ah, Dante? Dr. McAfferty will see you now' said a smiley, plump woman behind the counter. She gestured to an oak door, just beyond a line of four chairs. She walked past the hard-looking plastic seats and knocked on the door. It was opened almost immediately.

The room inside was impressive in every aspect. A huge glass window spanned one wall, and a sturdy wooden desk sat in front of it. To one side were a fireplace and two large leather sofas and an armchair. A man with ashy grey hair in a professional looking suit gestured to a leather sofa and smiled. On it sat James, wearing the apparent uniform with a navy T-shirt.

'Hello Dante. I'm sure you have lots of questions?' The man asked, obviously Mr. McAfferty.

'Yes; Who, what, why, when and where?' Dante said, only half joking.

'Oh' Mr. McAfferty laughed 'Well. Who: My Name Is Dr. McAfferty, call me Mac, and this, as I'm sure you know, is James Adams.'

'Yes, hello James, what on earth are you doing here? What on earth am I doing here?' said Dante, taking a seat on the sofa.

James laughed and gestured for Mac to continue. As he did, James made no attempt to follow the conversation, having heard it before. He was just wondering why he was here again when Mac snapped his fingers in front of his face.

'James?!'

'Oh, sorry' James shifted upright. 'Didn't get much sleep. How's your hand Dante?'

'Better thanks,' Dante replied, holding her palm up for Mac to examine when his bemused expression requested it.

'What happened here then?' Mac said, tenderly brushing the stitches. After a quick explanation from James, he sighed and nodded, taking a seat opposite Dante in an armchair.

'That is the main problem we have with recruiting you Dante. I'm sure you know that with congenital insensitivity to pain, we are incredibly worried about the fact that you could be damaged without realisation, so we-'

'Mac,' Dante interrupted kindly. 'I understand that it is a major factor, but I wish to reassure you. I have been tossed around from home to home for the last eight years and I'm sure I don't have to tell you that when that happens, you have to look after number one.'

'Mac, I have to admit, the one time that I saw Dante take a punching from Michael, I saw her checking herself over-'

'Ah, it was you was it?' Dante accused. James blushed in agreement. He had been worried that the punches Michael had left in her stomach might be serious, but when he had seen her probing her stomach in the kitchen he noticed a book on the table. It was a well thumbed medical textbook, open on a page about internal injuries. There were even additional notes stacked along the margins.

'Anyway, she knew what she was doing, Mac. ' James finished. Everything was silent for a few minutes while Mac mulled it over, physically rolling his jaw while he thought.

'Alright. Just . . . Be careful Dante. I want you to get weekly check-ups rather than monthly ones, and if you ever suspect _any_ possibly severe damage, you find a doctor quickly.' Mac said, standing. Dante grinned and shook his hand vigorously.


	3. Basic Desert

CHAPTER THREE

'Sir, yes sir,' They all parroted. Dante ground her teeth audibly as Mr Large strolled up and down the centre of the dormitory. She was fully prepared to switch off during any upcoming speeches, but then Mr Large stopped in front of her.

'Now, sweet-cheeks,' Mr Large said, rolling back and forth on his heels. 'I've heard an awful lot about you, dear.'

'Have you really, sir?' Dante said, fighting to get the sigh out of her voice. She had seen care workers like this before. They could make you life hell or heaven, it just depended which side you got stacked onto.

'That sounded like back chat. Did that sound like back chat to you, Smith?' Mr Large barked suddenly, his face only half an inch from Dantes. He continued without waiting for an answer from his helper. 'You know what happens to back chatters in Basic training, number four?'

'No sir' Dante said with a feeling she was about to find out what. She could see the other six recruits glancing at her from the end of their beds.

'They don't get dinner. In fact, they don't get breakfast tomorrow, either. Neither does any else.' Large finished with a sick grin. Dante just nodded, making a mental note to apologise to the team later. That's what they were now. A team.

The next days passed in a blur of sweat, heat and cold showers. The team did the best they could to help each other out, but it was obvious that they were only doing it because they might need help later. Each meal was eaten, in silence. Each training exercise was completed, in silence. Each brief moment between bed and sleep was conducted, in silence.

The penultimate day was coming to an end. Tomorrow was the one hundredth and last day of basic training. Ten had dwindled to nine, then to seven. Dante felt sorry for them. She, unlike the others, didn't feel the fatigue and ache in her bones; but now as they looked on at the huge packs they were to carry across the desert, she was glad she was different.

'Each one of you lovely urchins has one pack to carry, one hundred miles and one day. You will start at one o'clock tomorrow morning with one cantina of water. If you do not get to the final base your whole one hundred days will account for one big fat nothing.' Mr Large said as a goodnight and flicked off the light in their temporary base.

Dante waited for thirty seconds to be sure he had gone before she spoke in a whisper 'Guys, we need a plan.' There was a whisper of movement and a ripping sound, before a dull lantern was alight in the middle of the room. There was a scramble as everyone sat in a circle around it.

'Those backpacks look pretty big. . .' Dante mumbled. Everyone knew what she meant. Dante could carry two of those until she passed out without every feeling the need to put them down.

'They should be manageable. The shoulder straps look well padded.' Said a boy, number two.

Dante nodded, 'I'll take any extra weight if it gets to much. Just don't let me pass out.' It wasn't all about her safety – It was an unpleasantly curious feeling when you body shut itself down for no apparent reason. It left her feeling sluggish when she came around.

'Thanks' a girl, Gloria, smiled in the dim lamplight. Unbeknown to Large, Gloria had twisted her ankle the other day, and hadn't been able to take much at all. Dante nodded curtly. It was unfair that Gloria should quit this far in.

'Now, we've only got one Cantina each. I reckon we should drink as much as possible before we get headed, and try and go as far as we can at night-' said number eight.

'That's another problem – we don't want to have to take many layers off if it gets to hot in the sunlight. Maybe we should take some of the scarfs, then we can tie them around our waists . . .' the ideas flew around and around.

'Shh!' Dante said suddenly. Nobody breathed as Mr Larges camp bed squeaked from through the wall. Then there was silence. 'O-Kay' Dante breathed. 'We should catch some sleep else we'll all be sleepwalking there.'

It was like a promise of chocolate after homework. It was like a warm fire in the snow. It was like a saviour – and Dante could see it. It was still far across the desert, and time was ticking away, but she could see it.

'Yes!' She cheered. 'Oh god, it's there, come on guys!' Dante said, wrapping Gloria's arm around her shoulder. Nobody said anything, but there were a few smiles amid the panting. Left foot. Right foot. Left foot; Right foot. Left foot, right foot. Left, Right, Left right. She was running now. Everyone was running. Running towards the Blue concrete building that looked so cool against the burning sand.

'We're here!' She called as she set Gloria on a bed. Mr Large came out of an adjoining room.

'What? All of you?' Mr Large almost moaned in disappointment.

'Yes. All of us, sir.' Dante grinned. 'One team, one pack per person, one empty cantina per person and . . .'Dante looked at her watch, 'one hour to spare.'

'Fine. You've all passed basic training.' They had done it. Mr Large just nodded to the water coolers and left them. Dante began to move towards them, and she felt a sluggish reluctance in her legs. One step and she looked down, only to find her self curling and collapsed onto the cool stone floor.

* * *

Hey guys. Sorry it's been soooo long in updating, but I've had comp. troubles. Plus I didn't know who to put one hundred days of boredom onto paper. =S I hope it wasn't that bad, I know I skipped the whole middle chunk out, but I thought it would get repetitive. Please REVIEW because you love me XD

Thanks, all coments welcome!


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